Magpie Moth

This moth gets its name from its black and white markings (as in the Magpie, Pica pica ). It flies during July-August and lays its eggs on the underside of leaves on currant, blackthorn, gooseberry and hawthorn bushe
s. These eggs hatch into caterpillars ten days later. They look a bit like the adults, they are white with two yellow stripes running down their sides and covered in black dots.

After hibernating through the winter they emerge in May-June time to feed on the plant where they were laid and are quite capable from stripping the leaves from the fruit trees and destroying them.

They will form a distinctive chrysalis striped with black and yellow which can be found on the leaves of currant plants in early July when they finally hatch.